Expert thought

In view of the restrictive 2018 Luhansk People’s Republic statute, it is not surprising that some groups declined to apply for registration, while others were refused. The result is that many religious communities find themselves outside the law…. the 48 Baptist Union congregations have had to cease their activity altogether.

Religious Studies

In the context of recent events in the Orthodox world, disputes over the boundaries of church institutions often arise between the Patriarchate of Constantinople, Kyiv and Moscow. Ukraine accuses Russia of misappropriating the territory of the Kyiv Metropolis. In its turn, Moscow appeals to the fact that the ancient Kyiv Metropolis differs from the territory of modern Ukraine. RISU decided to clarify this topic, getting advice from historians. Based on this research, we prepared an infographic.

The first question that arises concerning Ukraine is this: with what right and based on which holy canons, does Russia today claim the ecclesiastical and administrative dependency of the Metropolis of Kyiv?

Calendar

The Russian Orthodox Church was hoping to disrupt the situation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, they wanted to influence the consciousness of parishioners. They were preparing for the clashes between parishes. But now, Russia is not backed by the troops it was counting on.

Such a view was expressed on the ZIK channel by the religious publicist Tetyana Derkach.

"I think it comes to them that bloodshed is a hoax, there will be no split. The Russian Orthodox Church was hoping to disrupt the situation, they wanted to influence the consciousness of parishioners. It was even alleged that if a siege of Pochayiv Lavra begins, it will stand for 72 minutes,” says the publicist.

Tetyana Derkach has added: Russia is not backed now by the troops it was counting on.

“The enemies were preparing to disrupt the situation, to make the parishes clash. They were preparing sportsmen for provocations. But, as we see, our government is countering such activities,” the publicist says.

At the same time, religious scholar Vyacheslav Gorshkov has drawn attention to the fact that the process of building up a new Church is a long-term procedure which can take about a decade.

“Changes in human consciousness proceed quite slowly. Much depends on how the new Church will arrange their daily life, to what extent it will be marked with Christianity,” says a religious scholar.

The greatest threat to the new Ukrainian Church is to become a clone of the Russian Orthodox Church with a plus sign, the expert said.

“But in the Russian Orthodox Church there are false traditions that destroy the Church and Orthodoxy. In one way or another, the success of our Church depends on its following the Gospel,'' said Vyacheslav Gorshkov.

“The Russians think that we are one people with them. And, they say, it's just a misunderstanding that some people started calling themselves Ukrainians or Byelorussians. But we are not the same – we are very different. The Russians are trying to judge for themselves, but our mentality is different.''